In the Bible, there are at least 210 verses which speak of “crying”, and at least 43 verses referring to “tears.” It seems there’s a lot of crying and tears in the Bible. Even the Son of God, when he came as a man, wept. Thus, we see that it is alright to cry. But let me ask, for whom do we shed tears? Do the tears we shed have value?
Rahab was a prostitute in the city of Jericho. We do not know what kind of person she had been, why she became a prostitute, whether it because of circumstances or economics, we do not know. We only know that she was a prostitute who had faith. Because of her faith, her whole family was saved.
Through Moses, God wanted to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, Canaan. However Moses was only able to do half the task. He led the Israelites out of Egypt but was unable to lead the Israelites into Canaan. After Moses died, the Lord called Joshua and told him, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them … to the Israelites.” Joshua became Moses’ successor, the leader of the new generation of Israelites. Today, let us learn from Joshua how to become a leader God chooses.
After leaving Egypt, the first battle that the Israelites fought in the wilderness was against the Amalekites. This battle was a very significant one. If they lose this battle, they will not have enough courage to enter Canaan, because there were seven more fearsome tribes awaiting them in Canaan. If they cannot win against the Amalekites, how can they face more fierce enemies? But the Israelites had indeed won this battle. The Israelites’ victory is a good example for us. This is the power of team work, the victory of three in one. What was the three in one? That is Moses’ raised staff on the hill, Aaron and Hur’s assistance, and Joshua’s fighting the battle downhill. The power of three in one won the victory against the Amalekites. In church ministry, we also need such team work.
